Posts tagged: MacTavish

Craig MacTavish season wrap up

So let’s start with a summary of MacTavish’s season wrap up…

– Overall team strength and depth and competitiveness needs improvement.
– Says these will be addressed, through a large degree, through personnel changes (i.e. waiting for the current guys to get bigger, or stronger isn’t going to help)
– Needs core guys to be better defensively and without the puck. Need structure in their game to have success.
– They need to add some specific role players that have a threat to score, even marginally. He says their current role guys, the best they were ever going to be on a given night was a “non factor”. Not a lot of upside in their current group.
– Says the few times that the role guys had an impact, they ended up winning games.
– Defense needs more foot speed to play a style that best suits the skill set this team has. The defensemen have to be able to Continue reading 'Craig MacTavish season wrap up, plus our playoff predictions, and more'»

It’s a great interview, and I took several things out of it. One, and to no surprise, MacTavish is a very humble guy and doesn’t take any of the criticism thrown his way to heart. I’ve always considered him to be a smart man, and hell of a funny guy. The end of his coaching tenure with the Oilers.. I think Tencer summed it up best with the word “stale”. It was definitely time to go.. not because he was a bad coach, but because the messages just weren’t getting through anymore and a new guy was needed to give it a go. MacTavish definitely doesn’t hold back in expressing that it was the toughest time in his life to be cut loose, however… but he’s tickled to be back with all the energy and excitement this team’s youth brings.

– Enjoyed his break from coaching.
– Did some pre-scouting for the Olympics (checked out some lesser teams).
– On Jordan Eberle playing at the Worlds (when asked by Tencer): “Yah you put that very well. That’s absolutely the case with Jordan, for all the reasons you mentioned. He fits the bill. We’re going to be maintaining some spots through the first round of the playoffs in hopes that the teams that are eliminated will open up some other doors for some other players to possibly join us in Germany. It’s a great opportunity for young players. And historically, Hockey Canada doesn’t like to take NHL players over to Germany and have them sit in the stands. There is an opportunity for players much like Jordan that have evolved much above Junior hockey, but there’s still some question marks whether they’re ready for hockey at this level, to go in (and) get a look. And from what I’ve seen of Jordan Eberle in the past, he’s going to make a case for himself if he gets an opportunity to play over there and that’s all he’s looking for. And it’ll be a good developmental thing for him and, as you said, to continue to indoctrinate himself into the Hockey Canada network.”
– His perspective “being an Oilers fan” is that being in 30th is the best thing for the organization right now. He says (and I’ve been saying this all along..) that if a team is fighting for 7th or 8th, but end up finishing 9th or 10th, it hinders your ability to acquire the type of player you need to help your team out. He goes on to emphasize how finishing in that middle-low area doesn’t help the team at all. I love how he still says “we” when referring to the Oilers. He’s still a fan, even though he isn’t with the team.
– Tencer asks him if it was wrong, in hindsight, to play Gagner up in the NHL at 18. MacTavish reminds that he’s still only 20 (i.e., has a lot of growth to do). He emphasizes that he is a “terrific hockey player” and that he is a special player that needs to have all the opportunities thrown at him. Basically the message is “stop worrying about him, he’ll be great”.
– Ready to come back coaching, and he looks forward to being back in the game.

User

Next Oilers Game

Tonight's Games

Support the Foil

[ Amazon.com (UNITED STATES) link ]Putting On The Foil is a participant in the Amazon.ca and .com, Inc. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. This site does not earn a profit, and all money earned is used to help lower the cost of hosting fees.

Recent Comments:

- chucker: We have had a few changes since this was written. Some guys at rookie camp really impressed. Yakimov in...

- dawgtoy: If MacT stays busy working the phones, calling the likes of Chi/Phi/Bos/Dal, something is bound to shake...

- Racki: I think the salary looks close enough for Petry and Schultz. If you subtract Klefbom and Nurse plus...

- Racki: Maybe he’ll be in the Hall one day… 😛 Unlikely, but I suppose you never know, for his undying...

- hemmerlady: Agreed about the rafters, Ktown. I was a sobbing mess, myself. Seeing Smytty so emotional, the...

- Ktown: Been awhile since I came past here, but finally saw this post. Agreed 100%, especially the #94 in the...